Health And Safety Events – The Focus On Asbestos

Health And Safety Events – The Focus On Asbestos

The British Safety Council (BSC) is organising a half-day conference in Manchester on February 26th 2014 aimed at employers, directors and managers in organisations and businesses of all types in the north west of England and the surrounding regions.

The event will be held at the Midland Hotel in Manchester’s city centre with expert speakers from the health, safety and legal sectors booked to address delegates on important developments in the UK health and safety legislation, enforcement and practice.

With the coalition government striving the simplify the UK’s legal framework for health and safety there is a continuing threat of prosecution and heavy fines for businesses who fail to meet their health and safety responsibilities.  The conference will focus on changes to the law and trends in health and safety prosecution and enforcement.  The conference will also highlight the major workplace risks that employers need to manage and aims to improve their knowledge on how to meet these very real challenges.

One of the speakers is Nattasha Freeman, who is a past President of the Institution for Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), the membership body for health and safety professionals.  She will be explaining the most recent changes to the legal controls on working with asbestos that affects the construction and refurbishment sectors.  The current government is planning to simplify the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 which place responsibility for health and safety on all parties involved in major construction work.  With extensive experience as a construction health and safety professional, Ms Freeman will outline methods of managing the risks from fire in large occupied buildings.

The conference will also provide delegates with the opportunity to gain professional development (CPD) credits for IOSH and IIRSM (International Institute of Risk and Safety Management) CPD schemes.

However, accreditation and learning is not the only reason that attending this industry conference is a good idea.   Attending a conference is a great way of catching up with current trends within the industry and staying ahead of the game at all times.  A conference is often where leading companies within the industry will showcase new products and offer some previews of future developments.  This is an important factor – you’ll be able to ensure that you’re knowledgeable about your work and stay on the cutting edge in your field.

Attending a conference of this type is also a brilliant opportunity to network with the best and brightest in your industry.  Check on the progress from innovators in your sector, share ideas with other players and keep an eye on what’s going on with your competitors.  You may also connect with prospective customers and find out exactly what they want so that your company can offer them products or services that are sure to succeed.

If you’re on the lookout for a new job, then making the effort to build a strong network of useful contacts for the future is another reason why attending a conference will pay dividends.

Delegate fees are £90 (+ VAT) for BSC members and £115 (+VAT) for non members – a great investment in your future whichever way you look at it.